Hernandez deals, offense hits, Mariners win

Ichiro was safe in the fifth inning on Friday night when he stuck his left hand under the tag at the plate. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

Early lines formed outside of Safeco Field on Friday night. It was Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead night after all, not to mention it was plus-60 degrees.

Fans streamed through the turnstile clutching cardboard boxes that would shortly be pimped on eBay. They came off the street one after another. A similar scene would take place at home plate shortly after the game started.

Working counts, hitting singles and aggressively running the bases, the Mariners used a mortar-and-pestle approach to ground the Tigers into submission on Friday night. The 11-3 win was the third consecutive for the Mariners, buoying hopes this is a club that is getting its act together.

Neither starting pitcher, Felix Hernandez for the hometown squad or Jeremy Bonderman for visiting Detroit, allowed a hit in the first two innings. That was smoke and mirrors for Bonderman, prophecy for Hernandez who struck out nine using pitches Hanna and Barbera would have scoffed for being too unrealistic.

Hernandez was asked afterward if he had it all on Friday night.

“Yep,” he said with a smirk.

So much so, two new phrases could be pumped into the baseball vernacular: accidentally effective and air cutter.

Rob Johnson and Hernandez punished a Tigers lineup that told its tale to the astute catcher last season. Several Detroit hitters put their foot down early as a defense against Hernandez’s exquisite off-speed pitches. That led to inside fastballs. The Tigers adjusted, as did Hernandez and Johnson.

Hernandez struck out several Tigers with what appeared to be a power sinker. Turns out, it was a changeup. At 89 mph. He was also cutting it.

“It was definitely a different look,” Johnson said. “A different look for me. Really tough to see.

“Usually you get that straight down action or that diving down-and-in action, but it was cutting a lot tonight, which is not normal for him, which makes him really difficult to catch.

“Basically we call it an air cutter. It catches the air with the seams and it takes off in the opposite direction.”

This was all by design, right Rob?

“By accident.”

While Hernandez did his thing, Ichiro broke the batting silence in the third inning with a single to left.

Ichiro was dancing in Bonderman’s skull while Chone Figgins was observing at the plate. The Tigers’ starter threw the ball away when trying to inch Ichiro back toward the first base bag with throws from the mound.

After he was given second base on a wild throw, Ichiro simply took third on the same pitch that Figgins walked on. The second baseman saw 12 pitches in his first two at-bats and walked three times on the night.

Bonderman continued to tinker with the baserunners. Franklin Gutierrez, who was hitting .571 with runners in scoring position, seemingly a greater threat, watched Bonderman fake to third and fake to first. Bonderman then threw to first. He finally hurled toward homeplate and Gutierrez smashed an 0-1 fastball to right-center field for a triple, scoring both baserunners. Gutierrez would later score on a Jose Lopez single to make it 3-0.

Hernandez gave back two with a shaky fourth inning, a 180-degree change from the paddling he gave the Tigers through the first three. The Mariners answered with two more in the fourth and cracked things wide open an inning later.

The Mariners pecked and pecked in the fifth. Four singles, a walk, Detroit pitchers throwing pitch after pitch. Bonderman shuffled off the hill unable to get an out in the inning. He left a lump of coal in the stocking of former Rainier Brad Thomas. The lefty came in to loaded bases and none out.

Jack Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to left. Ichiro singled. Figgins walked. Gutierrez singled. Sacrifice fly by Jose Lopez. Ken Griffey Jr., who had two hits on the night, both tumbling ground balls through the right side, ended the inning with a groundout. All told, the Mariners scored six runs in the inning. That was more than they had scored in any previous game in 2010.

Hernandez lasted 6 2/3 innings prior to being spelled by Sean White. The Mariners young ace struck out nine and picked up his first win of the season. Mark Lowe finished things off.

Lowe had stiffness in his back on Wednesday but said Friday night he felt fine after his one inning of work.

On the other end was Bonderman, who left after throwing 93 predominantly ineffective pitches in four innings of work. He was the third consecutive opposing starter to be strangled by a pitch count when facing the Mariners. Oakland’s Brett Anderson lasted six innings on Tuesday. Gio Gonzalez went 4 2/3 on Wednesday.

Bonderman’s inefficiency supplanted them all two days after Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said everyone was battling in their at-bats better than before.

“We just didn’t do very well tonight, period,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.